Pak ready to give visa-free access to Kartarpur pilgrims

Pakistan has agreed to allow visa-free access to 5,000 pilgrims daily to Kartarpur and 10,000 pilgrims on special occasions at the end of the second round of the Indo-Pak talks on the Kartarpur Corridor at Wagah on Sunday.

Pakistan also agreed, in principle, to build a bridge over the Ravi creek. However, pending the construction of the bridge, India would make interim arrangements for making the corridor operational by November, which would mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

Pakistan has requested a ‘Nagar Kirtan’ from Delhi to Nankana Sahib in July and again in October or November 2019. The proposed kirtan would be organised by the SGPC and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), under the 1974 bilateral protocol.

'There should be no restrictions on the pilgrims in terms of faith,' the MEA said in a statement.

Pakistan said the pilgrims would be allowed to travel on foot individually and in groups.